Bruce Dawe: Homecoming
TASK ONE (I.E. WHAT WE DON'T KNOW)
Define the following terms: HINT http://dictionary.reference.com/
HULL
MORTUARY
CURVATURE
MUZZLE
PARADOX
OXYMORON
PROSE
IRONY
TASK TWO (I.E. WHAT WE DO KNOW)
Identify FIVE techniques used by Dawe in this poem. What are they? Where are the examples? Why are they used?
TASK THREE (I.E. WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW)
Dawe here dramatises the homecoming of Australian veterans' bodies from Vietnam. This is clearly an anti-war poem, reproducing in the seventies the sentiments of the First World War poets.
I like it when a poem has a central focus. Dawe's deft writing plays powerful chords on our emotions: the injustice of killing young men and its overwhelming reality is delivered in many observable details. Rather than say I enjoyed this poem, let me say I appreciate what it is doing and rate it a powerful indictment of Australian involvement in Vietnam. It is a memorable poem.
http://home.pacific.net.au/~greg.hub/lifecycle.html
There are many websites that can help us with our understanding of poetry. The one above is a great example of what we are trying to achieve here.
Use the notes above to write what you think the PURPOSE and CONTEXT of HOMECOMING are.
TASK FOUR: ASSESSMENT
Complete TASKS 1 & 2 (P. 27: Booklet) POST TASK 2 AS A COMMENT BELOW (200 WORDS MAX)
H/W: Complete AT LEAST two of the TASKS above. Note that ONE of the TASKS you complete must be from the BOOKLET (P. 27)
ReplyDeleteMy name is Gerald Nyamadzavo I served in the Australian army during the Vietnama war and here is my story.
ReplyDeleteApart from dodging bullets and avoiding death from enemy shells, there was a daily routine in the Vietnam war.
It started 1 hour before dawn with the morning the men were raised from sleep and sent to the "fire step", with bayonets fixed to their rifles to be on guard for a dawn raid by the enemy. Many raids were carried out at dawn by both sides although it was common knowledge that the opposing armies were both preparing to deal with them.
As the first light of day approached machineguns, shells, and even handguns would be fired toward the enemy . Some people said that this was to test the weapon. Others said it was to relieve the tension, and others said it was to ward off a dawn raid. Whatever the reason the first hour of the soldier's day became known, as The morning hate.
This would happen everyday till the next shift in the morning and the routine would start again..
1)Compose a diary entry of a soldier accompanying the coffins to Australia.
ReplyDeleteFinally after a long 6 months I’m goin’ home but alas my return home is not one that I had hoped for. Ye I get a medal but three of my men won’t not because there not brave if anything they are more brave then I not because they can fire at the enemy but because there dead.im flyin’ home with three coffins of my captain boy he was a man to go after :brave heroic always had a story to keep us goin’ the team sniper he was literally a man of few words would never say much but man was he a sniper he could shoot the fleas of a dog at 600 miles he was really goooood. And finally the team assault man this guy was great with his shotgun and could get Intel from the most unlikely places.
At the end of the day heaps of soldiers say their friends but me and my team, we really ment one of the rear friendships of the army.
CPT.Joshua Gooding signing off.
Compose a diary entry of a soldier accompanying the coffins to Australia.
ReplyDeleteDear diary 11/07/1918
My worst nightmares are my happy place for when I awaken by the sound of shellfire. It is now 13 hours and in on a ship back to home; the last of my days as a soldier are near. I’ve seen so many lives lost before me that mine seems lost upon them. I doubt I will sleep again, I don’t know what to feel again as I’m returning with all the corps. Finding my mates upon the deceased I carry their belongings back to their families, as one of the very few soldiers left un-harmed. Nothing else matters to me anymore except for a couple of smokes and a picture of my misses that I carry close to my heart. When I get home I’m never going to look back to all that black.
dear mum and dad
ReplyDeleteill be home soon, finally i can come home and sleep for as long as i want. for six months i havent slept its just has been to hard being away from you my buetiful wife and my kids. any way its been 16 hours on this ship im almost home i cant wait ill see you soon miss u so much.
January 31 1973
ReplyDeleteDear Bob,
It’s been 4 days since the end of the conflict in Vietnam. Today they’ve brought back the bodies of those they could find in one piece– bloody shocking image I tell ya. Seeing them lot of coffins enter the mortuary, the mourning and sorrow of the families and the look of distress on Aunt Louise’s face would make someone wish they were born blind. I was deep in thought ‘bout those times when me and Uncle Toby would play some footy with the kids on my street – Oh how I wish for a moment like those times to ever return. As the coffins all lapsed by me, it made me think how lucky I was to survive the war.
Less we forget.
Going for a smoko.
Lt. Micky
November 9th 1918. “The departure”
ReplyDeleteAn early morning rose up, I stood up and Waited at the edge of this world staring the sun right in the eye, a fellow soldier in my troop came up to me and said “this world only looks down upon a man who can stand on his own two feet”. This was the day where we had to pick up the dead bodies left out from the war and to leave this wicked place.
8:00 Am rang the bell of our camp and everyone went out to clean up and pick/drag the corpse of dead soldiers, and zipping them all in plastic bags tagging their names on and then waited for the helicopters to come.
12:30 Pm, after we finished all the hard work, the helicopters were there ready and getting packed, 1 was being packed with all the bodies and tools and the other one carrying the soldiers. I was one of the 5 soldiers to accompany the helicopter carrying the dead bodies. It was such an unpleasant way to end our miserable journey realising how the dead soldier’s families are going to react and how we lost, some of our dearest friends and brothers.
Dear diary
ReplyDeleteI cant take this pain anyomore. Instead of waking up to a beautiful alarm clock i wake up to screaming guns and army equipment. I cant seem to get the sound out of my head its almost like thats all my ears hear. there is no peace, my friends are lying next to me with gunshot wounds. i dont think they will make it
Dear Diary,
ReplyDeleteToday I was brought down by a lot of tears and have learnt a very important lesson towards life. Here I was carrying these coffins of 2 brave soldiers name Mark and Luke. It only seemed like yesterday I was in Iraq fighting with these young gentlemen but in a flash they passed away. Fondly I realised how unfair humanity is, I wonder why God the almighty creator or heaven and earth have taken two strong hearts away from these men. These two men deserved to live on, they were good people as I know it. Never killed anyone in vain or have committed a mortal sin. Maybe it was God message to people? I think God wouldn’t want us to go to war even it means killing bad guys, but in this universe there are always bad guys who are condemned by the devil. That’s why god has created human being to be good and to save the world he created from the devil’s destruction.
Mark and Luke will never be forgotten for they have served their country with pride. They were God’s angel who was sent down to do their duty.
~ Rest peace Mark & Luke ~
Tony. Nice use of SMOKO! Really good work overall boys. Good use of empathy and first person. Congratulations on using this site for the purpose it is intended for!
ReplyDeleteDear diary,
ReplyDeleteIt has been 3 weeks since the end of the Vietnam War I can’t forget anything like how Radovan died next to me with shoot wounds all over his body I still can’t get a good night’s sleep without dreaming about all the experiences of horror and noises and re seeing the images in my head of people wounded and dying the roaring sounds of the guns barking and the bombs falling. Today I visited the graves of my fellow friends may they rest in peace.
Im Private Aman and this is my story
ReplyDeleteWe were out on daylight foot patrols in the Vietnam yesterday. Private Pearson got a shot in the thigh. Our foot patrols are now a bit better than last year. We only go on foot patrols with a minimum of two groups. Yesterday we were patrolling the south with another group through the waste ground between Etnai drive and Jamaica Street. Shots rang out somewhere ahead of me the unmistakable sounds of high velocity gun fire. But in these streets it's impossible to tell where the shooting is coming from. You hear gun shots in one direction, then echoes seconds later in the opposite direction. The sounds tend to get closer making it impossible to tell the echoes from the actual shots. It was obvious the gunman was ahead of me on this occasion and probably he was firing at our patrol. I immediately doubled my patrol forward to try and execute the gunman. Then I heard Sgt Spracklen's voice calling me urgently over the radio, "Crashcall! In Junction Berwick Road and ... “I raced across Etna Drive to the location but the shooting had stopped by then. All I found was Young Private Pearson who lay in a front garden in his combat trousers with dark red wet blood. Not a good day's work by me. One of the most unforgivable and an unforgettable event that took place today.